American Express Call Centers

Your Guide to Enjoying PGA Week

When the PGA Championship comes to the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek Aug. 8-14, thousands of spectators will watch golf's last major. And even if you are not attending the main event, you can still experience the excitement by taking in exhibits or special programs in various locations throughout the metro area.

So ticket holder or not, here's your championship cheat sheat:

Tickets: Even though ticket sales have seen a quick increase in the last few days following news that Tiger Wood would likely compete, tickets are still available at PGA.com . 

Bring Your Children: Each adult with tickets will be allowed to bring up to four children ages 17 and under. Junior tickets can be obtained at the will call office at the main entrance on day of admission.

Free Admission for Military:  To honor the men and women who serve in the military, the PGA is offering active and retired military personnel free daily grounds access to the championship. A military ID is required on the day of attendance, and tickets can be obtained at the admissions and will call office at the main spectator entrance.

Learning Center: A PGA Learning Center, presented by American Express and located at the main spectator entrance, offers free lessons from PGA professionals, putting greens and golf simulators.

RBC Fan Experience: For golfers of all ages, RBC bank is inviting spectators to design their own golf bags and have their golf swing analyzed. The winner of the bag design competition will receive a VIP experience at the championship on Wednesday as well as a meet-and-greet with Matt Kuchar and a behind-the-scenes tour.

Let's Move: To demonstrate how golf can be part of a healthy and active lifestyle, pedometers will be offered to spectators at the main spectator entrance to track their steps.

There are plenty of events than non-ticket holders can participate in:

Pro-Shop Pre-Sale: Open to public on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a Pro-Shop pre-sale at the Atlanta Athletic Club will offer 93rd PGA Championship clothing and memorabilia. No ticket is required and parking is free in the lot across the street.

History Exhibit: A traveling PGA Championship History Exhibit is on display at the Johns Creek Welcome Center, 11030 Medlock Bridge Road, daily through Aug. 14 and is free and open to the public.

Call Center Customer Experience Transformation At American Express ...

Last year we published not just one but two reports that featured the outstanding customer experience transformation process that took place in the American Express call centers. The first report described the winning entry submitted by American Express for a 2010 Voice Of The Customer Award — the data from that VoC program drove many of their call center improvements.  The second report was a profile of the transformation itself based on a talk by Reena Panikar, vice president and business leader of American Express' Customer Service Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

We were so impressed by this story that we invited Jim Bush, executive vice president of world service at American Express to speak at Forrester’s Customer Experience Forum 2011.

Jim is responsible for leading the company’s global customer servicing operation — which includes 25 proprietary locations across the globe and a team of tens of thousands of customer care professionals who provide service to more than 63 million customers. He was the driving force behind the American Express call center transformation.

Listen in as Jim describes how it all went down.

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